一道残阳铺水中
A slant of setting sunlight spreads across the water;
半江瑟瑟半江红
Half the river is blue-green, half is red.
可怜九月初三夜
How lovely this third night of the ninth month:
露似真珠月似弓
Dew like pearls, a moon like a bow.
What the poem means
At sunset, the river is partly green and partly red. Later, dew resembles pearls and the young crescent moon resembles a bow. The poem moves from sunset into early night rather than freezing one instant.
Meet the poet
Bai Juyi was a Tang poet whose clear language often explores everyday life and human feeling.
Bai Juyi · More poems →